India to send two Union Ministers to Kartarpur corridor ceremony in Pakistan next week

Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Saturday welcomed the invitation extended by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to visit Pakistan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor next week but informed that she will not be able to travel. 

Taking to Twitter, Swaraj thanked Qureshi for the invite but informed that as she has prior commitments she will send representatives of the government to the ceremony.

She added that the Centre will be sending Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Minister of State (IC) for Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri as representatives.

Taking to Twitter, Swaraj in a series of tweets said that India hoped Pakistan will expedite the construction of the corridor in order to ensure that Indians can pay their respects at the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor. 

"Thank you for your invitation for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on the Pakistan side of the International Boundary on 28 November 2018. Due to my prior commitments, including election campaign scheduled in the State of Telangana on that day, I would not be able to travel to Kartarpur Sahib," said Swaraj.

"However, being mindful of the sentiments of our Sikh citizens and the importance of facilitating their smooth and easy access to holy Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib, we will be sending Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister for Food Processing Industries and Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (IC) for Housing & Urban Affairs, as Government of India's representatives for the event planned for 28 November 2018," added the minister.

"It is our hope that the Government of Pakistan will expedite the construction of the corridor in order to ensure that our citizens can pay their respects at the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib using the corridor as soon as possible. Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration," the minister further said.

Earlier, Qureshi had extended an invitation to Swaraj to visit the country to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor next week. 

Apart from Swaraj, Qureshi also invited Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to the ceremony which will take place on November 28.

Taking to Twitter, Qureshi said, "On behalf of Pakistan I have extended an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Capt Amarinder Singh & Navjot Singh Sidhu to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at Kartarpura on Nov 28, 2018."

Official sources said that proper invitation letters were also dispatched to them, according to news agency PTI. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony of the facilities on the Pakistani side on November 28. 

A long-pending demand of the Sikh community to build a religious corridor linking India's border district of Gurdaspur with a historic gurudwara in Pakistan may finally be fulfilled with both the countries announcing that stretches would be developed in their respective areas.

India's Cabinet cleared a proposal Thursday to develop a corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur district to the International Border to facilitate Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

Amarinder Singh has invited Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the speaker of the Assembly in Pakistan's Punjab province, to attend a similar ceremony on the Indian side on November 26, according to PTI.

Pakistan Foreign Office on Friday said the "Kartarpur Spirit can be a step forward in the right direction from conflict to cooperation, animosity to peace and enmity to friendship."